"While not a formal member of NATO, Australia's partnership with NATO is an increasingly important one that provides mutual benefits," he said in a statement on Friday.

"Our current key mutual interest is Afghanistan and it is important that, as a NATO partner, Australia has a seat at the table where decisions are made and planning is undertaken."

Mr Fitzgibbon served as Labor's defence minister from 2007 to 2009, visiting NATO on a number of occasions to push Australia's case for NATO to adopt a more coherent strategy for its conduct of the Afghanistan conflict.

This time, Mr Fitzgibbon led a delegation of Labor and Liberal MPs and senators to meetings and briefings in Brussels and Mons.

As a result of the visit, the delegation plans to set up an Australia-NATO Parliamentary Friendship group.

Mr Fitzgibbon said the Australian MPs challenged NATO officials on a range of issues relating to Afghanistan and Central Asia more generally.

He said it was important for Australia to work with NATO on security issues in emerging areas such as cyber security, terrorism and piracy.

"Our meetings with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and other high- level leaders left us in no doubt NATO appreciates Australia's vital contribution to Afghanistan and to discourse about broader global security issues," Mr Fitzgibbon said.

"We also witnessed the high level of engagement and access that Australia's Ambassador to NATO, Dr Brendan Nelson, has in Europe. Ambassador Nelson is an influential advocate for Australia."